The Library - Southside

Food Models Jon and Tina

The Library in Southside hosts a very special happy hour that holds a dear place in my heart. Twice a day they offer half off craft beers and half off appetizers. The happy hour beer special runs from 5-7 pm and then again from 10-12. Doesn't it sound too good to be true?

When you run an entrenched happy hour for several years, you start to slip. We call this, "happy hour creep." Gradually the bar starts to realize that people are only coming around for the happy hour special and the various price points begin to reflect the behavior of the patrons.

For example, the chicken tenders on the happy hour menu are priced at $10.50 and the nachos are priced at $12.50. While these items are a steal when they are half-off, they are a little overpriced otherwise. By way of comparison, an order of chicken tenders will cost you $8 and an order of chicken nachos will cost you $10 at Carson City Saloon.

The ribs (pictured above) were surprisingly good. Fall off the bone tender and well portioned.  I'd have to say that the ribs are one of the best deals for happy hour. ($8.25)

Billy Goat

The Billy Goat's Gruff has always been one of my favorite dishes at the Library. Stuffed poblano peppers with goat cheese and a choice of meat for $12.50 or $6.25 during happy hour. However, they were remarkably disappointing on this visit. The peppers themselves were basically raw and hastily stuffed with what seemed like mostly cream cheese and some overcooked chicken. I will not be ordering them again.

A few additional warnings. The draft list is extremely confusing, the website is often incorrect about specials and pricing and the menu pictured on Zomato is very outdated. It's unfortunate to watch a fantastic happy hour fall from grace. But perhaps god needed another happy hour in heaven.

Fire Side Public House - East Liberty

The Fire Side Public House is located at the old site of Station Street Hot Dogs in a part of town I like to call, "the end of the world." Honestly, it is just the edge of East Liberty, but the spot is somewhat isolated. On the bright side the location has a parking lot which is sort of like finding a magical unicorn in Shadyside/East Liberty.

Fire Side is owned by the folks who own Sidelines Bar and Grill. Sidelines has locations in Sewickley and Millvalle and is absolutely worth a visit. One thing I found interesting about Fire Side is that none of my friends from the Shadyside area were familiar with the restaurant although it has been open for quite some time.

The space itself is very open and welcoming. The large bar encircles a fantastic wood fired grill and Fire Side offers a number of daily specials. (Thursday night is $10 beer and flight night.)

The wings at Fire Side are fantastic! They are very similar to the high quality wings I've come to expect from Sidelines. Unlike Sidelines, you can order your wings grilled or fried. I always get fried wings, I find them vastly superior to their grilled brethren.

On my two visits to Fire Side I've only tried the wings. They are always great - a nice size, a decent crisp and well sauced. Be sure to check out their extensive craft beer list if that's your thing. I usually have one and switch to Bud Light.

Uubu 6 - South Side Slopes

Cheesesteak

Uubu 6 is easily one of the strangest places I've dined in the last year. Upon arrival the restaurant was nearly empty with the exception of the bar. The front door opens to a large hallway and a tantalizing bowl of candy. Centralized within the space is an amazing wine closet, but upon request, no wine list was available.

The price points at Uubu 6 are remarkable and as Munch from the Post-Gazette notes, the portion sizes are intimidating. During our visit they were featuring a number of different pumpkin flavored beers for $3. Entrees range from $8 - $12.

A cup of soup will only run you $2. I dare you to find me a restaurant with tablecloths where you can get a cup of soup for $2. By way of comparison, a small chili at Wendy's will cost you $2.09. I'd like to point out that I'm not knocking on Wendy's chili. I happen to think their chili is awesome even if it is made with old hamburgers.

Roasted Pork

The nightly special was roasted pork with broccoli, shiitake mushrooms and fried rice in a teriyaki sauce. It also included a side salad. The picture and presentation do not do the dish justice. The portion size was enormous, the pork tenderloin was cooked flawlessly and the flavors were quite good. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I was unable to finish my dinner. A real tribute to Uubu 6.

I would describe the food at Uubu as contemporary American style cuisine. The menu features several different sandwiches and sides you would expect to see in most common diners. A few tips to keep in mind: they have variable hours and although it did not seem as though they were expecting any guests when we arrived, service was slow and spotty at best. However, Uubu 6 simply cannot be beat in terms of value.

B52 Lawrenceville

Moussaka

I estimate that I probably eat a vegetarian diet about two times a week. Avoiding meat isn't just hypothetically better for your body, it's also better supposed to be better in terms of environmental sustainability. (There are great arguments on both sides of the fence. Vegetarians would probably like to crucify me for this statement but it would be counter-intuitive to their mission.)

That being said, I just can't get as excited to go out to vegetarian restaurants as I do for more specific dining experiences. If you tell me we are going for sushi, Tex-Mex, bbq or Thai, I begin to salivate. If you tell me we are going to a vegetarian restaurant, I lose my vigor.

The moussaka, pictured above, was absolutely beautiful, but underwhelming. The dish tasted as though it had been prepared well in advance of the evening and was likely re-heated. It was one of the few dishes I've seen returned in the history of happy hour. (The waitress asked, and the kind patron tried to refuse.)

Onion Flatbread

Some of our favorite dishes were the stewed tomatoes, the onion flatbread and the fried cauliflower. All were masterfully prepared with a fantastic array of middle-eastern spices. The flatbread came covered in sumac, pine nuts and caramelized onions. It is actually hard to imagine how they were able to sell if for $6 considering the amount of pine nuts heaped on the dang thing!   (At the time this article was published the average price of pine nuts was $18 per pound.)

One of the great options available at B52 is that they allow you to select a complimentary sauce with each order. Your choices include the harissa. which is a smoked hot pepper sauce,  the zhoug, which is a cilantro parsley hot sauce and of course, tahini. The harissa seemed to be the group favorite.

Baklava

The staff was very accommodating, especially for putting up with the nightmare known as the Pittsburgh Happy Hour. They helped us take over most of the restaurant without much resistance and even managed to muster a few smiles.

Some great perks to keep in mind, B52 is BYOB, the space is gorgeous and you may even run into local celebrity Rick Sebak! He just happened to be dining there during our little soiree.

RICK

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Scratch Insect Dinner

Earlier this year Scratch Food and Beverage hosted an insect dinner that was among one of the most interesting meals I've seen offered around Pittsburgh in a long time. I cannot say that I am very well versed in the world of entomophagy. I've never found eating insects to be particularly offensive or strange, I've just never had the opportunity to indulge. For anyone who is nervous about trying new foods, I recommend the book, "Strange Foods" by Jerry Hopkins. It provides a wonderful introduction to expanding your palette.

Meatloaf

The meatloaf was made with a blend of lamb, pork and cricket and it was one of the most robust and flavorful courses of the evening. Served on a bed of purple potatoes and black garlic, I honestly could not even notice how the crickets were incorporated. While this speaks to the versatility of crickets, I believe this also diminishes their inclusion as well. It's always a great idea to focus on sustainable food practices - but the best part of dining is savoring unique flavors and textures. Although this dish was fantastic, the crickets could have been replaced with almost any type of foodstuff.

The tostada was also excellent and did a better job of featuring the insects. The crispy crickets paired perfectly with the mole sauce and chorizo. They added a much needed crunch to this wonderful dish. As I finished my tostada a small gnat found its way onto my plate. As I shooed him away from my dinner I found myself having quite the existential moment. 

Five Years of Happy Hour

Check out this great article on us by Dan Gigler of the Post Gazette!! http://www.post-gazette.com/life/drinks/2016/08/04/Drinks-Pittsburgh-Fine-Drinking-Society-marks-five-years-of-good-times/stories/201608040018 - Here's to five more years.

Apteka

"Apteka" is polish for drug dispensary. I guess people must be running out of restaurant names, but the establishment itself does have a sort of pharmacy-esq je ne sais quoi. The white cement block walls are largely barren and the decor is simple. A true reminder of what it must have been like to live in Eastern Europe during the cold war. The food, however, is very exotic.

Pictured above are three separate vegetable tartines and an apple tart featuring some sour cherries. The tartines provided a great array of fresh and flavorful ingredients and they were easily the best dish I tried during my visit. They are somewhat difficult to describe as each had a different type of bean or pesto spread, a different vegetable topping and very unique flavors. The apple tart was also quite delightful. You really can't go wrong with sour cherries. Overall, I would say that the food at Apteka could be one of the best pure vegetarian options available in Pittsburgh.

I generally find it very difficult to get excited by restaurants that don't serve meat as it always seems that many of the offerings attempt to mimic the flavor and texture of meat. (IE tofu scramble, seitan chicken wings or bean burgers.) Apteka on the other hand offers authentic old-world style dishes that really don't lack in any way from the exclusion of meat products.

Do you spell it pirogi, perogie, pierogi, pyrogy or perogy?

They offer two types of pierogi, a saurkraut and mushroom and a smoked potato with parsnip and turnip greens. I honestly thought I would prefer the saurkraut pierogi, but the smoked potato was so unique that it was absolutely may favorite. Homemade pierogis are always a treat and these are some of the best in the city.

On a Thursday night the line for Apteka was out the door. Additionally, their staff is still working out the kinks and service was not great. Soon it looks like they will be opening an outdoor patio and I can only imagine that the quality of the service improves as the restaurant finds its bearings. Give it a month or so. Also, be sure to try the tequila drink with wildflower, lime and orange.